Archive for Clean Water

When I first started this blog, I was amazed learning about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Here is a new article from the Miami Herald about plans to start cleaning it up next year. Of course, we need to take stringent methods to avoid adding plastics to it.

A Portland man and his dog fish for abundant Willamette River trash
By Scott Learn, The Oregonian
October 08, 2009, 9:00PM

David Fisher picks a piece of plastic sheeting out of the mulch at a Swan Island beach while his dog, Aana, romps nearby. Just about every evening for the past six months, David Fisher has come home from his work as an industrial project manager, grabbed Aana, his 3-year-old Weimaraner, and headed out in his aluminum jet sled on Portland’s run of the Willamette River.

His target isn’t fish. It’s garbage.

And unfortunately, Fisher says, the collecting is always good.

Since August 16th, Fisher, a meticulous guy, has been keeping a careful log of his haul, aided by a hand-held fish scale he keeps on his boat.

Earlier this month, I reported on the World Water Monitoring Project on this blog. I received a phone call from Vena Jones of the Cumberland River Compact yesterday to help publicize this great project locally. Here are some highlights from their press release:

Schools in the Middle Tennessee area are partnering with the Cumberland River Compact, Metro Water, and the Middle Tennessee Stormwater Coalition to collect water quality data on streams in their area. Students will report the information on the Cumberland River Compact website and also contribute their information to the international database.

Students are leading the efforts to protect their local environment. Living in a world shrunken by technology, they have a better understanding of the interdependence of important natural resources in a larger, global setting.

Since 2002, many youth have demonstrated their growing knowledge while participating in World Water Monitoring Day
(WWMD). WWMD presents an important opportunity for young people to become involved in safeguarding natural resources on a local, national and international scale. Students around the world from Argentina to Zimbabwe tested their local waterways for four basic indicators of water quality. These indicators are dissolved oxygen, pH (acidity), temperature and turbidity (clarity). The Cumberland River Compact is working locally with schools in Davidson and surrounding counties to help students and teachers participate in WWMD and record data from October 5, 2009 until November 6, 2009. In addition to the four basic water quality indicators students can investigate the quality and abundance of important aquatic insects in the streams.
While engaged in this annual event, students can learn more about the watersheds in which they live, how watersheds work and how protecting their waters can have beneficial impacts downstream. Teachers and students often use their data to discuss impacts in their local watershed and compare their findings with others. If your school would like to participate in this exciting program, please email venaj@cumberlandrivercompact.org for more information and access to Middle Tennessee specific test kits. For more information visit our website www.cumberlandrivercompact.org